Tracing Jamaican Ancestry: What the Slave Registers Hide

The Slave Records are among the most important records for tracing Caribbean ancestry, yet they are often misunderstood. This online talk explores what these records can reveal about family history, identity, and the lives of enslaved people.

Drawing on his own research into ancestors enslaved on the Cousins Cove sugar plantation in Jamaica, Paul Crooks examines what these records show—and why they are so often misinterpreted.

This session forms part of a wider series examining why standard approaches to Black ancestry research often break down, and how historical records can be understood more accurately.